When it comes to your job search, screeners are the first lines of defense you have to get through on the way to your first interview and hopefully a job offer. There are three basic types of screeners: human resume screeners, automated resume screeners and phone screeners. (The latter being human – at least in theory.)
Years ago phone screening was not as prevalent as it is today. You just made your best guess from the resume and cover letter and called them in (Still done for certain hard-to-match jobs and by some smaller companies.) Not every employer uses the phone interview technique, but for most it’s an easy time-saving, cost-effective way to weed down the candidates who remain after any initial (automated or human resume screening) weeding processes
A phone screener is usually given (sometimes helps create) an already screened batch of resumes to call to see if they think the person is a potential match and should be brought in for an in-person interview. The company may have received hundreds of resumes, but in this part of the process usually no more than about 5-10 are called…although for some tech jobs where I had to show wide reach and find some softer skills, I called up to 15 or more. (Each employer has different methods and willingness to pursue candidates who don’t quite have everything in the ad.)
Phone interviews that are more than screening: While nowadays, the majority of phone interviews are screening interviews, some phone interviews can be more than just initial screening. They can be the equivalent of an in-person interview and last an hour or more, especially if you live some distance form the job or people from various cities are participating.
For more on phone interviews:
How Do I Ace My Phone Interview?
=> Browse the Career Dictionary <=
NOTE: If you want to suggest changes to this or any other definition in our career dictionary, please feel free to add your suggestions in a comment.
Also see:
Work Coach Cafe is a safe place to share job search stories, find support, and see what others have on their minds. Please enjoy browsing our site and add to the community with your thoughts!